Can you help us with this preventative healthcare research project?

Aruma is a human rights organisation that is committed to supporting people with a disability to live their best life, the life they want and choose.

Part of how we do this is by partnering with research organisations who also strive to make a positive impact in communities.

We are currently part of the NHMRC Partnership Project: Preventive healthcare for People with Intellectual Disability. The research team understands that people with intellectual disability face many barriers in our health care system and often find it hard to access preventive health care. This project will help to understand these barriers and work towards making preventative health care more accessible to people with intellectual disability.

So, how can you get involved and share your views?  Staff, customers and families from Aruma are invited to join the research by participating in 1:1 and focus group interviews. We are looking for:

• Support staff and family members (or other informal support network members) who have experience supporting a person with intellectual disability to access or try to access preventive health care. They must be 18 years or older.

• Customers who have an intellectual disability and are 14 years or older. 

You can participate in the interviews face-to-face, via email, telephone, or video conferencing. Customers will also be supported to use other communication mediums suitable to their needs (eg drawing, photovoice etc).

The interviews will take between 1-2 hours with a second customer interview conducted so researchers can confirm their understanding of responses.

Interview participants will receive a $50 gift card. (Note – people attending an interview in a supportive role will not receive this – only the actual interview participants.  If a member of the customer’s personal support network cannot support them to participate, then Aruma support staff may do so.)

If you, your customers or their family members are interested in participating in the project, please contact Bela Laginha at b.laginha@unsw.edu.au or (02) 9348 0190.